


my boy

by Soulykins



Series: old dog, old tricks [5]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Allison has a lot of books on parenting because she's trying to get Claire back, Five has nightmares, Gen, Klaus buys Five a stuffed animal, Number Five | The Boy Needs A Hug, issues with touch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-16
Updated: 2019-03-16
Packaged: 2019-11-19 11:17:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18135044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soulykins/pseuds/Soulykins
Summary: Klaus has noticed that Five has nightmares when he sleeps, but Five would rather chew off his own foot than accept comfort from his family. Allison has a lot of books on parenting, some of which have chapters dealing with your child and nightmares.These facts combine into Klaus attempting to buy Five a comfort object since he doesn't want to show weakness in front of the rest of them.Surprisingly, it works out just fine.





	my boy

**Author's Note:**

> i'm literally specifically talking about this right here: https://www.amazon.com/Vintoys-Hugging-Pillow-Stuffed-Animals/dp/B06XCVVLMR/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=cat+pillow&qid=1552768882&s=gateway&sr=8-8
> 
> I'm literally projecting my own version that I got for this past christmas onto Five and I have no regrets about it. Mine is also named My Boy after a similar scenario of it being moved and me being half asleep and pointing at the back of the couch demanding to know "who moved my boy"
> 
> also i am one of the 40% of adults who sleep with stuffed animals, though mine is a cheetah. My Boy is specifically for naps on the couch bc he genuinely does make an absolutely fabulous pillow, very comfy, very soft, 10/10 do recommend

Really, it was Allison’s fault. 

She had been taking her therapy very seriously and alongside that had started taking a parenting class to help her get visitation right for Claire. Therefore, it shouldn’t be a surprise that all these parenting books and child psychology books had popped up in the mansion practically overnight, and that one was always glued to Allison’s hand as if she was a college student studying for the big final.

On the bright side, Five accepted their presence in the mansion because he assumed it was all about Claire. But Klaus could see the way Allison eyed their smallest brother speculatively while reading some of the books, and the fact that a couple were thrown in about the effects of isolation were somewhat damning.

Klaus, for his part, had gleefully bought a book titled ‘They F*** You Up’ about parents to donate to this pile, making sure to present it right in front of Luther just to see the big guy’s nostrils flair. Even Luther couldn’t say anything about it though, and Klaus would take the little irritating victories.

Vanya, on the other hand, had quietly purchased several books on child abuse and recovering from past child abuse. Presumably none of the authors could directly address their specific trauma of being forced to brutally train their powers to their breaking points before being forced into a child paramilitary group but - if you squinted a little then a lot of the info was still alarmingly applicable.

But regardless, it was absolutely Allison’s fault that when Klaus and Ben noticed Five had nightmares - like, a _lot_ of nightmares - Ben pestered Klaus into picking up one of the parenting books.

Five wasn’t their _child_ , he was their _brother_ , which Klaus pointed out half-heartedly as Ben made Klaus sit up and hold the book out so he could read as well. It was a lost battle from the beginning.

At least Klaus got to skip through to the chapter on nightmares since Allison went hardcore and half of these things were textbook-worthy in length.

But pretty much from the very first sentence Klaus knew that they were boned. _Is your child getting enough sleep and maintaining his or her regular bedtime schedule and routine?_

Ha, they’d only recently convinced the little shit to actually use his bed when he dropped off. Regular bedtime schedule? Five stayed up for days on end fueled only by coffee and spite until he finally collapsed. Then again, looking at the frequency of the nightmares that Klaus had been witness to (hey, he was an insomniac), he was pretty sure that the nightmares and lack of sleep schedule were probably correlated (been there, done that little brother, Klaus was the family expert on fucked up dreams and insomnia).

_Comfort, coddle, and reassure your child. This is one time when providing brief comfort and cuddling is very much the best solution for this sleep-related problem. Stay with your child for a short period of time following the nightmare. Most will still be tired and able to fall back to sleep soon. Let your child go back to sleep in his or her own bed. Avoid excessive attention or pampering. To provide additional comfort, it is also helpful to allow your child to snuggle with his or her favorite soft toy or security blanket throughout the night. If your child would like the light on, leave it on in its dimmest setting, or use a night light for comfort. Consider leaving the bedroom door open. Reassure the child that the home is safe and that you are there for security._

Klaus blinked down at the book with frustration. As if Five would _let_ anyone comfort him. The rare few times Klaus himself had actually attempted to interact with the smallest Hargreeves after a nightmare, Five had been all hackles raised and spitting mad, throwing things at him to get him to leave the room. 

But - his eyes did catch on one part, where the book started delving into a study a university did with ‘huggypuppy’ to help nightmares. And that’s what gave Klaus the idea at the end of things.

Really, it was all Allison’s fault.

 

Klaus was sat on the stairs, absently playing with a slinky as he stared at the door. The package was supposed to come today, and he wanted to get to it before any of his siblings could grab it. ‘Invasion of privacy’ was practically a foreign concept to half of them, after all.

They were getting plenty of deliveries these days, now that they actually decided to give the mansion an overhaul and redecorate. 

Luther had protested, but Allison had put her foot down on the matter of ever bringing her child into a building with cute depictions of kids gouging at another child’s eye. Plus, there was the matter of what to do with dear old dad’s old room.

Diego had immediately advocated for the room to be changed into a room for Mom considering the old bastard had never seen fit to bestow one upon the only person in the house that actually cared about the kids. 

It had actually been Five that pointed out that they could turn it into a guest room, and when Luther had scathingly asked what guests any of them had, Five had pointed out that, as Allison said, presumably Claire would one day come and visit and the issue of a sleeping arrangement would come up. Frankly despite the many ‘bedrooms’ in the house _existing_ , only nine were actually set up to _be_ bedrooms. The seven children, Pogo’s room, and Reginald’s room. A tragic number of rooms were designated for training or offices or even storage for the variety of weird shit their ‘eccentric’ father had collected over the years that probably desperately needed sorting through.

Unsurprisingly, Allison had been delighted about the idea she could decorate a room for her daughter in preparation for visits. And that was the end of that, Luther wouldn’t dare shoot down anything that caused Allison happiness. Diego grumbled and they all agreed to clear out another room for Mom as well, and all was well on that front at least.

On the bright side, the redecorating gave everyone something to do. Allison and Five had painted a wall in Five’s room with that chalkboard paint as a compromise and an apology about their fight over Five writing on shit. There were cardboard boxes everywhere full of shit to donate or throw out or put into storage that they got to reminisce and bond over. Klaus had finally found the makeup box with the glitter nail polish Dad had confiscated from him when he’d been twelve. Small victories.

The doorbell rang and Klaus scrambled up to get it, clutching his robe closed with one hand as he flung open the door and braced himself for human interaction.

Fortunately on that front, it appeared the delivery guy had an equal distaste for seeing people as all Klaus could see was the guy’s back as he practically sprinted back to the truck. Small miracles, he supposed.

Eagerly, he swept up the package into his arms and slammed the door shut again.

“Who was it?” Diego called from somewhere in the house. Probably in the kitchen with Mom watching her make dinner or something.

“Delivery guy!” Klaus hollered back, scurrying up the stairs before he could be questioned further and escaping into his room. That was about the time he realized that he hadn’t really considered the ‘next step’ of this process.

Klaus turned to Ben, a frantic look on his face, “Do I just give it to him? Should I like, wrap it first? Do we even have wrapping paper in the house?”

“Calm down, Klaus.” Ben soothed very helpfully. And then far less helpfully added, “Alright, you go give it to him and if you die I’ll be in the kitchen to show you the ropes of haunting.”

“Ben!” Klaus howled at his brother’s back as the ghost slipped right through the door like the absolute traitor he was.

But Klaus had a mission, and frankly he’d been witness to Five having a nightmare in the few days since he’d ordered this thing and he was pretty sure that Five had actually only slept _once_ since he’d ordered it as well. So. No time like the present?

Five might have mercy on him since he was just trying to help, right? Probably?

Regardless, without his permission his feet had found their way to Five’s room and his hand was already knocking on the door without his conscious input. Had Ben possessed him? _Could_ Ben possess him? This seemed like a situation that should be blamed on Ben.

The door swung upon to reveal Five in pajama bottom and - wait was that Klaus’s shirt? The soft black shirt that had been washed so many times that the original band name was too faded to tell what it had said originally? It was big on _Klaus_ let alone Five.

Klaus physically shook his head like an etch-a-sketch to reset his thoughts. Not important! He could address the theft later! He was on a mission!

Clearly he’d missed whatever Five’s sarcastic greeting had been since the brat was looking at him expectantly. Without a word, Klaus thrust forward the package - only narrowing missing Five’s face and only because the smaller of them had taken a step back to avoid it - “You have an, uh, package! Yeah. For you.”

Thankfully Five took it, looking very puzzled. A glance down at the package and then back up to Klaus’s face, “Klaus. This literally had your name on it.”

“Uh. Yeah I, uh. You know. Ordered it. For you.” Klaus fiddled with his hands as Five looked at the package, then back at Klaus, before wordlessly opening the door wider before retreating back into his room. An invitation for Klaus to come in.

Five pulled a bigass knife from under his pillow which, uh, what? Was that safe?

Regardless, Five used it to cut open the packaging and rip the box open, pausing when he actually witnessed what was inside.

“Klaus?” Five asked quietly, danger in his voice, “What is this?”

Klaus waited for Five to pull his gift fully out of the box. It was a cat. Not like, an actual cat. But a pillow thing Klaus had found online that looked like one. It was cream with ginger patches and was, according to the reviews, exceptionally soft. That review was apparently correct considering that Five was running light fingers over the fuzzy exterior.

“It’s a pillow!” Klaus blurted out, “Uh. ‘Cause, you know, you have trouble sleeping?”

Klaus wasn’t going to say anything about Five missing Dolores under the threat of death. His brother had toted around that mannequin like a five-year-old with their comfort item for a solid week before she’d suddenly vanished, all Five willing to say on the matter that she was ‘back where she belonged.’

“I’m not a _child_ , Klaus.” Five hissed, though Klaus noticed he hadn’t let go of the cat yet, “I don’t need a stuffed toy - ”

“Lot’s of adults have stuffed animals!” Klaus interjected, “Like, forty percent of adults sleep with stuffed animals, I looked it up.”

Five was looking uncertain, so Klaus played his trump card, “Vanya still has Mr. Snuggles in her room. Are you calling Vanya a child?”

“No,” Five denied instantly, before tentatively bringing the cat closer to his body to hug. It really did look very very soft. 

“Apparently they can help with nightmares,” Klaus babbled on, waving his hands about to punctuate his point, “Plus you know, you have the whole thing with uh, touching people and stuff - which I totally get! But like, you don’t come to us with things and so, uh. I figured you could hug this instead?”

There was absolutely no way anyone could know about the insomnia night Klaus had spent researching studies about touch and how even artificial touch (such as hugging a stuffed animal) could have benefits for individuals. And since Five still struggled with touching people, well. It made sense at the time.

There was equally no way he would reveal that the original idea came from a fucking parenting book advising that he ‘provide a nighttime partner’ for his ‘child’ to help with nightmares. Yeah. No fucking way.

“...Thanks Klaus.” Five’s soft voice brought Klaus out of his own head and he watched his shockingly young brother tuck the cat under his chin before his eyes hardened, “You can get out, now.”

Knowing when he’d overstayed his welcome, Klaus quickly hightailed it out of the room.

Ben was waiting for him outside, “Wow, you’re still alive! Congrats.”

“I hate you so much,” Klaus retorted.

 

Exactly no one reacted when the next morning Five trotted down the stairs yawning, one fist scrubbing at an eye and the other arm wrapped around his brand new comfort object.

No one reacted because Klaus immediately kicked Diego (who he could see opening his mouth) and glared at the rest with such fierceness that even Allison just raised her hands in surrender.

Thankfully before anyone could say anything, Mom arrived with a perfect smile on her face and an apron tied around her waist, “Breakfast is ready!” She chirped at them, “I made pancakes!”

The team trooped into the kitchen, Five pausing to deposit the cat on the back of the sofa before following everyone to sit down at the table. Exactly no one mentioned the cat, and the second someone even looked like they might mention it, Klaus made Ben corporeal enough to smack them in the back of the head.

Instead, Allison talked about how she’d like Luther to come with her to therapy today since the doctor thought it might be helpful. Five asked Vanya about a piece she’d been composing recently, and Vanya started talking about like, treble shit and three-quarters and all the other music things Klaus didn’t understand. Diego was shoving pancakes into his mouth like he was starving to death. It was actually very normal.

Which was, in of itself, somewhat unusual. Usually by about twenty minutes in at least someone was insulted to within an inch of their life, Diego was looking at the blunt kitchen knives with more interest than was comfortable, and at least one person (usually Five) had stormed off in a huff.

Of course, it only lasted until they were all finished and trooping back into the living room, talking about maybe going out to dinner (Allison’s treat), when Five froze.

“Where’s My Boy?” He demanded.

Klaus could literally hear the capital letters used there.

“What?” Luther asked, looking at their smallest brother like he was having a stroke which, possibility.

“My Boy.” Five said more insistently, but this time he pointed at the couch.

That clue had Klaus putting it together, because when he looked at the couch the cream and ginger plush cat had vanished from sight. He felt almost surprised though, considering that Five had named his apocalypse companion Dolores, which was an actual name. He’d expected something similar for the cat like, he didn’t know, Edward or Darla or even a weird pet name like Bingo or some shit.

Then again, the was the same person who, when asked to provide a hero name, had chosen ‘The Boy’ so was it really that much of a surprise? Maybe Dolores came with a name. At the very least, she was probably an outlier.

“Did anyone move Five’s cat?” Klaus cut in before anyone could bristle at Five’s accusatory tone.

The siblings looked around at each other with clear confusion, each shaking their head in turn. Which made sense, they all technically had alibis since they’d all been sitting at breakfast together, but the stricken look on Five’s face (from losing a gift that _Klaus_ had gotten him no less) tugged at his heartstrings.

Thankfully before things could devolve into bloodshed, Mom walked in with a smile. “Oh, Five dear, I put your cat on the table in the front. I’m about to start cleaning in here if you kids could take yourselves elsewhere.”

And that was how My Boy became part of the family.

**Author's Note:**

> this is possibly the most self indulgent thing i have ever written and i will not apologize for it
> 
> am i going to include My Boy in future fics if I want?? absolutely  
> but actually though Five had no human touch for 40 years he's got Issues in that he's touch starved and also isn't used to human contact and rejects it, and hugging both stuffed animals and pets is something that is proved to be helpful (though not quite as helpful as hugging an actual person) and is a good middle step for getting Five ready for Actual Human Contact in a way that he can control and take comfort in
> 
> so, you know, really my giving five a stuffed animal was for more than just complete self indulgence lmao  
> (also i spent a solid amount of time hunting down the name of Vanya's bear that was mentioned one time damn, but Mr. Snuggles is canon thank you very much)


End file.
